Mark: Hi, it's Mark Bossert. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC Canada. Vancouver's best auto service experience 25 times plus they've been voted best in Vancouver by their customers. We're talking cars. How you doing Bernie?
Bernie: Doing very well.
Mark: So today's guest is a 2018 Smart EV. Again, a little bit of a a rarity.
Bernie: Yeah, we work on quite a few Smart EVs.
Mark: This is definitely a newer model than some of the ones we've seen before. What was going on with this vehicle?
Bernie: So there was no heat in the vehicle, which was kind of disconcerting, especially since it's November and Vancouver now, it's getting really cold.
Mark: Okay. Really cold is
Bernie: Not really cold. Okay. Sorry. I know where you live, it gets really cold. Not around here.
Mark: So let's get this picture of this little vehicle here. Tiny little machine, two person vehicle.
Bernie: I like these cars. They're actually really fun to drive. We work on tons of Smart cars. I mean, I like working on them, but I find the gas and diesel ones, they're just clunky. And the gas ones are getting better and better, but the EVs are fun 'cause they don't have that clunky transmission shift. So they just kind of zip around. They're a really fun little car.
Mark: I’m sure they perform pretty well given how light they are.
Bernie: Yeah, they are. Yeah, absolutely.
Mark: So our next image is, what is this?
Bernie: This is what's called a PTC heater. This is basically the heater. So you've got your big fat orange cable. Any orange cables are high voltage lines. So this hooks up directly to the EV high voltage battery. And that basically sits under the dash, very difficult to access and remove.
So a bit of a backstory to this vehicle. The owner had had it at Mercedes for a bunch of repairs for some other issue. It was there for quite a while. I guess they were discouraged dealing with them and the cost decided to bring it to us to fix the heater. So we diagnosed it, it looked like the heater was a concern whether or not it was related to the other repairs. It's like one of those things where it was summertime, so they probably didn't turn the heat on. Then when they needed the heat, then all of a sudden it wasn't working 'cause it worked before. So whether it was a result of their repairs. Probably not. The heater probably died, but you never know. Though it creates a bit of suspicion.
Anyway, another view of the heater. You can see the large plugin on that cable. Basically this plugin and there is a small connector that goes in that operates all the electronics to switch the heating unit on and off.
And there's a sort of top end view of the heater with some tags and stickers.
Mark: So once replaced, does it just plug and play or was there extra needed to happen?
Bernie: No. Unfortunately not plug and play, it requires some extensive reprogramming of the system to recode the unit and reprogram it. And I keep scratching my head going, I'm not sure why they, so many of these components on cars are like that nowadays. You change a window switch you have to reprogram it. Not true in every car, but a lot of cars and Europeans are possibly the worst.
Mark: So is there a CPU or an eprom in this heating unit?
Bernie: Yeah, it's gotta be something like that or some kind of identification code. What I did notice was interesting is on the picture that had the tags on it. It has a brand name and it's a Mully part, Mahle, I don't know. It's probably the more correct German way to pronounce it, but maybe it's just Mall. I don't know. No one's told me the proper way. But also beside that tag, it says Renault on it. So I found that interesting. And so I'm thinking that this is probably a part made by a manufacturer for Mercedes, for Renault, whoever else uses it. And so from that point of view, it probably does need to be programmed to the vehicle. So it operates in the correct parameters, for that particular vehicle. So maybe that programming does make a bit of sense when I think of it from that perspective.
Mark: So an extra level of repair finishing, I guess who we can call it. That needs to happen in order for that part to work, 'cause otherwise it won't work. Is that right?
Bernie: Exactly. And cost, I mean, every vehicle we work on, needs programming. It's usually at least 250 bucks. This one's a shade over 500 to do all the programming. So it's an additional amount of money that you have to pay almost every time you do a repair of some sort. Not every vehicle again, but especially on EVs, it's even more critical 'cause everything's electronic.
Mark: Yeah. And heater worked great after repair?
Bernie: Yeah, it was fantastic. Nice to drive in the cold weather with the heat.
Mark: So if you're looking for service for your Smart car in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the people to see, who work on lots of these vehicles, all different types, diesel, gas, and electric. People that see are at Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them online at pawlikautomotive.com. You can book your appointment there, or you can call them at (604) 327-7112 to book your appointment. You have to book ahead. They're always busy. Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC Canada. Thanks so much for watching and listening. Thanks Bernie.
Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.
